Paris, 27 July 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The Paris Olympics opened on a rain-soaked Friday with an extraordinary and colourful ceremony in the heart of the French capital, culminating in an Olympic cauldron lifted into the nighttime sky by a hot air balloon.

At times torrential rain did neither dampen the mood of athletes who paraded on boats on the Seine, nor that of the hundreds of thousands lining the route in the first opening ceremony held outside a stadium.

Paris landmarks such as Notre Dame cathedral, the Louvre and Pont Neuf featured prominently in a lavish show as France showcased its culture and history, from the 1789 revolution to Victor Hugo's Les Misérables while also paying tribute to those who rebuilt Notre Dame cathedral after the devastating fire from 2019.

Lady Gaga performed a French cabaret song with dancers sporting pink pompoms, and Céline Dion sang L'Hymne à l’amour from the Eiffel Tower which minutes earlier had been the site of a gigantic light show - her first performance in years after being diagnosed with stiff person syndrome.

French Olympic athletics champion Marie-José Pérec and the nation's judo great Teddy Riner lit the cauldron at the end of a spectacular ceremony which also included the Olympic flag being hoisted upside down.

Heavy metal rockers Gojira performed from the balcony of the Conciergerie together with acclaimed singer Marina Viotti, popular singer Aya Nakamura performed with the French Republican Guard, and mezzo-sopranist Axelle Saint-Cirel sang the national anthem from the roof of the Grand Palais.

The four-hour extravaganza expected to be watched by more than 1 billion people around the world on TV featured hundreds of dancers and a celebration of diversity in Europe.

It started with a humorous video starring football great Zinedine Zidane and throughout featured a mysterious torch bearer who worked his way across the city to Trocadéro - where the boat parade ended, and the trip of a metal horse with a rider draped in the Olympic flag, with footage paying tribute to the modern Olympics founded by Paris-born Pierre de Coubertin.

Juliette Armanet performed Imagine, and International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach partly touched on the famous John Lennon song in his speech.

"Some may say, we in the Olympic world, we are dreamers. But we are not the only ones. Our dreams are coming true tonight," Bach said.

Bach highlighted Olympic solidarity, saying that "in a world torn apart by wars and conflicts, it is thanks to this solidarity that we can all come together tonight."

Organizing committee president Tony Estanguet said: "For the next 16 days, you will be the best version of humanity. You’ll remind us that the emotions of sport form a universal language that we all share."

French President Emmanuel Macron then opened the Games of the 33rd Olympiad in which some 10,500 athletes from more than 200 countries will compete for 329 gold medals in 32 sports.

The ceremony saw no apparent major disturbances at the end of a day which had started with major high speed rail service disturbances after suspected coordinated arson attacks on the lines.

Some 45,000 police officers safeguarded the opening ceremony which featured a host of heads of state and government, including United States First Lady Jill Biden.

They all gathered at Trocadéro where the mysterious torch bearer handed over to Zidane again, with tennis greats Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams involved along with American athletics legend Carl Lewis in a boat trip before Pérec and Riner received it from 100-year-old Charles Coste, the oldest French Olympic champion.

A statement released later said that the cauldron will return to the ground during daytime at the Games, while rising 60m into the air from sunset to 2 am. It said the flame is fully electric.

Photo: EPA